If you find anything false, please email me the links you found to prove what is true. Email me at bigislandtalk@gmail.com, Rebecca Melendez, Mahalo!
Look for General Plan Meetings on their Calendar to Stay informed when the dates for County Council General Plan Meetings are, and Email your testimony, Attend via Zoom, or in Person. Go to Hawai'i Planning's website About Us page, and look at their Calendar page: https://www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/about-us/planning-department-calendar
Testimony You Can Copy, Paste, Email, and Use as Yours in Emails and Meetings:
100% of the Community has been AGAINST this General Plan at the in person meetings.
For one, this plan was NOT written for ordinary citizens to understand.
In some of its explanations, it does NOT use the exact title but abbreviations, which it does NOT explain.
It does NOT FULLY explain their "Master Plans" or "Impact Ordinances Fees," and it does NOT make many other items clear in this General Plan.
This General Plan should be clear, and it's NOT. It feels very SHADY and brings feelings of CORRUPTION, and there are links that show our rights could be taken away if this General Plan is implemented.
The 2045 General Plan looks to want to do all of this:
9.3 Zoning, subdivision, and other
applicable ordinances shall provide for and protect open space areas.
What does the county mean by “other
applicable ordinances”? Because an Ordinance is “a law or rule made
by a government or authority” What rules does the county want to put on
ALL of us because they are not explaining this in their GP.
9.4 Support mechanisms, such as PUD and Cluster Plan Development (CPD), that group parcel
density to preserve open space, recreational areas, or scenic viewsheds.
"A planned unit
development, or PUD, is a community of single-family homes, and sometimes
condos or townhomes, where every homeowner belongs to a homeowners association
(HOA)."
"To most home shoppers, a planned unit development (PUD) may look like a single-family home. But the legal structure for a PUD is more similar to that of a condo and can impact the mortgage process."
"Again, you’ll need to read all these documents to determine whether that specific PUD is right for you. And remember, all PUDs are different, so each one will have its own set of rules and restrictions."
9.6 In the review of discretionary permits, consider land use compatibility to ensure proximate
compatible and complementary uses and appropriate mitigation measures.
What does the above sentence mean? Why isn't the General Plan written for ordinary citizens to understand?
It seems they want to "ensure proximate compatible and complementary uses and appropriate mitigation measures." What is "proximate compatible"? What are the "appropriate mitigation measure"?
9.a Develop a process for County-initiated State land use boundary reclassification to best align State
Land Use with County long-range plans.
The County has given letters to change Land Use Titles all over the Big Island. Does this mean the State wants to align with with the County and wants to "Develop a process for County-initiated State land use boundary reclassification to best align State Land Use with County long-range plans."
Is this allowing them to change land use boundaries through their "reclassification" on their maps?
Why are they trying to develop a process for the County to reclassify State land use boundaries?
What are the County long-range plans?
Pages 80, 82 & 87 mention the TDR Program and THEY DO NOT EXPLAIN THIS PROGRAM
9.d Define the types of open space that are sought to be protected and establish standards to be
applied to ensure its protection.
Will this definition be able to take private lands away?
9.e Conduct a review and re-evaluation of the real property tax structure to simplify and assure
compatibility with land use goals and policies
What are their "goals and polices"?
9.f Study the feasibility, issues, and opportunities related to the development of a TDR program to strategically preserve open space and achieve density to remain consistent with the land use pattern in accordance with the General Plan Land Use Maps.
The General Plan doesn't explain what TDR means. It is the Transfer of Development Rights.
"When the Government undertakes compulsory acquisition of individual land parcels for creating infrastructural projects, it is required to compensate the land owners. The compensation provided by the Government is usually lower than the market rate, and hence they introduced the concept of Transferable Development Rights. These rights are obtained in the form of certificates, which the owner can use for himself or can trade in the market for cash."
"A TDR program seeks to preserve landowners' asset value by moving the right to build a house from a location where development is prohibited (e.g., for environmental reasons) to a location where development is encouraged."
The GP looks to give the full rights over Big Island land because it is the county that will decide the “environmental reasons” for incorporating land into the TDR program, which aims to give them full control over all the lands on Big Island and tell us where we can live by “prohibiting” areas from development.
"In the place where development is encouraged under TDR, zoning is changed to permit more units to be built." This sentence explains that a TDR program builds "units" and gives the county full rights to tell people where they can and cannot build homes through their TDR program.
“Because the money from this change in zoning is a windfall to current landowners in the development zone, the state is justified in laying claim to this money and turning it over to people whose development rights were taken away as a result of the environmental regulation.”
General Plan Page 87
Everything below is to enforce their TDR
program that they are not explaining.
13.1 Encourage flexibility in the design of
residential sites, buildings, and related facilities to achieve a diversity of
socio-economic housing mix and innovative means of meeting the market
requirements.
13.2 Prioritize increase in density,
rehabilitation, and redevelopment within existing zoned urban areas already
served by basic infrastructure, or close to such areas.
13.4 Encourage the rehabilitation and/or
utilization of maximum density in multi-family residential areas.
13.8 Focus on medium- and high-density
residential and commercial uses in communities that can sustain a higher
intensity of uses and where consistent with General Plan Land Use Map
and existing town character
13.9 Support the rezoning of land to
multiple residential near places of employment, retail, utilities, and
educational, recreational, cultural, and public facilities.
The links above also state, "the law also allows the state to conduct a period boundary review."
The GP Land Use Map has already sent
letters to private landowners saying they have “Rezoned” their Land Use
Titles. Some of these people have been at the meetings, saying that their Land Use Titles are now recreation lands that the landowner cannot
pass on to their family or sell.
Who gives the county this right to change
Land Use Titles? How is this legal?
PLEASE OPPOSE THIS FOR THE SAKE OF OUR COMMUNITY
RIGHTS TO OWN LAND.
2045 General Plan Page 149
s 30.1 Treat broadband access as a basic utility that is
available to all communities.
The term
“broadband” refers to high-speed and high-bandwidth communication
infrastructure.
“Broadband is the transmission of
high-quality data of wide bandwidth. In its simplest form, it is a high-speed
internet connection that is always on. Broadband connections include Wi-Fi, DSLs, fiber,
and satellites.”
Broadband will always be on. The county has NOT researched the health risks of
this.
30.2
Develop and support a program of free, public-use broadband services at
appropriate County-owned facilities, mass transit facilities, and other
community anchor institutions.
What do
they mean by “community anchor institutions”? What kind of institution do they
want to create?
30.12 Plan for broadband
infrastructure to support smart grid development
The county doesn’t mention wanting to turn the Big Island into a Smart City, and implementing a Smart Grid is the first step in this process.
“A smart grid alone does three things. First, it modernizes power systems
through self-healing designs, automation, remote monitoring and control… Thus,
a smart grid sits at the heart of the smart city, which cannot fully exist without it”.
Also, a Smart Grid
will allow them to have more control through “remote monitoring,” which will
fully take our privacy away.
“Privacy and Data Security:
Smart cities rely heavily on the collection and analysis of vast amounts of
data from sensors, cameras, and connected devices. This data is crucial for
optimizing city operations and services. However, the extensive data gathering
raises concerns about privacy infringement and data security. Citizens worry
about their personal information being accessed or misused.”
"The Smart Grid also inherits their associated drawbacks. Exploiting these vulnerabilities can lead to severe consequences such as privacy breaches, cascading failures, or even system-wide blackouts."
30.3 Collaborate with utility companies to incentivize the underground siting of electrical and
telecommunications facilities within public rights-of-way
30.4
Continuously improve the use of broadband communications and digital technology
to educate and provide public services with a focus on digital access.
30.5 Siting of new communications facilities shall comply with performance standards and site colocation
as stated in the Code.
The above sentences are confusing because it looks like the county doesn’t want
us to understand that to create “telecommunications facilities fully,” they
must put Cable underground; hence, they use the wording “ underground siting.” So, we don’t fully
understand the consequences of laying cable under our streets.
They seem to want to confuse us, because “sitting” sounds better than causing serious traffic
to dig up all the roads to lay down this kind of cable all over the Big Island,
which will cost billions.
Page 150
30.b Develop standards for the siting and construction of wireless telecommunication
facilities.
"The widespread adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) and smart home technology has internet service providers (ISPs) and integrators on the hunt for the most effective methods of broadband delivery for many scenarios.
"The cable will be closer to the surface and more vulnerable to damage. In this case, a more expensive cable that can withstand contact will be required. Cables buried in clay will also need to be of higher quality because the clay can hold stones and push them against the cable. In clay, the trench will also need to be much deeper.
In developed areas, the existing infrastructure can be problematic. Digging through concrete sidewalks and roads is costly and disruptive."
The traffic on Big Island has been increasing every month, and they want to dig up our two lane roads to "sit" their "broadband infrastructure'? THEY ARE NOT ADDRESS INFRASTRACTURE ISSUES ON ISLAND.
“Fibre overbuilds in the 21st century are becoming a widespread problem, with
more fibre cable being laid on streets than can ever be utilised by the
residents. Not only does this often cause mayhem on the roads, with closures
and roadworks slowing traffic, but Fibre overbuilds can lead to countless
negative effects on the environment, and the eventual rise in cost to the
consumer and developer.”
"Challenges of Smart Grids
Like other new and evolving technologies, transitioning to a smart grid presents some challenges, including:
High CapEx investment: For many projects, especially at generation plants or alternative energy installations, the funds required for extensive, complex projects are very high. ROI from large systematic projects can also take a long time to recoup. Fortunately, in some instances, costs can be offset by government grants, rebates, and credits. Open source architectures can also help reduce costs through standardization and accelerated development, which shortens project timelines.
Legacy equipment: Replacing or even retrofitting legacy equipment is not simple. Original builds were intended to last decades, and vendor lock-in is a major factor. Moreover, in the case of utilities, end customers often must be persuaded or incentivized to opt into new meters and programs.
Complexity: Smart grids rely on a vast system of components and technologies, making them immensely complex. There is also little standardization or interoperability in the edge and IoT solutions space. Working closely with technology partners to map, plan, and phase grid modernization efforts is critical to ensuring connectivity and successful operation.
Remote environments: Many organizations operate at remote sites or in emergency conditions, where there is little or no surrounding infrastructure, and it takes a considerable effort to send personnel. Ruggedized equipment, light infrastructure, creative connectivity solutions, and remote manageability capabilities are necessities to integrate these locations into the smart grid.
Security and data privacy: Due to their increased reliance on digital technologies, energy grids must be protected from physical attacks and cyber threats. Any solution used in the smart grid should provide robust, multilayered protection; be rigorously vetted to meet stringent security standards; and be actively managed to protect against the theft of personal data.
Transformation of the energy system is a global, complex, and lengthy challenge. Collaboration across industry, public, and private sectors is critical to individual and collective success.
The county
is not focusing on the island’s issues, like the fact we already have serious
traffic issues. They want to create more traffic problems by laying down fibre
cable that will create a "Broadband/Smart Grid," hence a Smart City,
and they are explaining this by using minimal wording to confuse and
obscure their true intentions.
The county
is not acknowledging that Hawai’i Electric does NOT have the kind of power a
Smart Grid needs, which will add to the island's already-existing power issues.
"An update on Hawaii Island power generation – how you can help
..there’s no one to call on for backup - we’re on our own.
That’s why we will need everyone to work together over the next month, and
possibly longer, to conserve electricity. We are extremely tight on what we
call our generation margin, the margin between the demand for electricity and
our ability to supply it. This demand typically peaks on weekdays between 5 and
9 p.m. and that’s when the margin is most critical.”
The
county has not provided any researched information on the health risks to people, animals,
and the environment from “Broadband” which will
always be on underground, and all over Big Island.
Re: The Dangers That Come with a Smart Grid
#1
John Endres
2018-Feb-23 2:31 PM
“One very critical danger that comes with a "smart grid" was not
mentioned: the adverse health effects from electromagnetic fields. Current
estimates of people experiencing adverse health effects from wireless
technology hover at around 5%--I am one of them. After the installation of a
water utility smart meter at my place of work, I experienced an escalation of
symptoms (over time) that started with headaches and ultimately culminated in a
seizure (I lost control of my legs). One month prior to the smart meter
installation I had a complete annual physical and was given a clean bill of
health. I underwent a barrage of medical tests after a week of experiencing
health symptoms (thyroid, EEG, MRI, etc.) and everything was normal. I did
begin to feel some of the painful head and eye sensations (that I would feel
near wireless sources) at the end of the MRI”.
The county does not acknowledge the health risks associated with their “Broadband/Smart
Grid” plan, all the associated issues due to putting the fibre cables
underground, or the fact that it will cost billions to create. They worded
everything in their General Plan to sound like it would benefit everyone, and
it wouldn’t!
30.9
Alleviate barriers and assist broadband projects with navigating through the
regulatory permitting process.
They say “Alleviate
barriers and assist broadband projects” are the barriers health regulations
because the broadband will be on all the time?
What are the barriers the county
is wanting to alleviate to create their broadband projects?
What is their "regulatory permitting process."?
The county
mentions Broadband and a Smart Grid is the county also planning for an increase
in cell towers? If so have they researched health issues because of cell
towers?
There are cell towers on island where the top's are pointing straight at HWY's, homes, commercial areas, retirement homes…Because the island is
mountainous, the tops of these cell towers are only a few feet from these areas. These areas are getting the full blast of the radiation.
Has the county looked into the health risks of this cell towers?
Will they be allowing more towers to do this to our community?
On Palani Rd. and Queen K HWY, there are two cell towers whose tops are only a
few feet from the HWY.
On Hualalai Rd., there is a cell tower facing a retirement home and it’s less
than 100 ft away.
In Hawi town, there is a cell tower at a gas station. The top of the tower is
directly across from residential homes.
Has the county checked these places to do any research on whether people are
being affected by cell tower radiation before they keep allowing and agreeing
to more cell towers?
“Overall
results of this review show three types of effects by base station antennas on
the health of people: radiofrequency sickness (RS), cancer (C) and changes in
biochemical parameters (CBP). Considering all the studies reviewed globally (n
= 38), 73.6% (28/38) showed effects: 73.9% (17/23) for radiofrequency sickness,
76.9% (10/13) for cancer and 75.0% (6/8) for changes in biochemical
parameters...Of special importance are the studies performed on animals or
trees near base station antennas that cannot be aware of their proximity and to
which psychosomatic effects can never be attributed.”
Will there be any health and safety research and studies on what a safe
distance and a safe number of cell towers should be for human bodies, trees,
and animals?
30.i Pursue partnerships and funding for broadband initiatives and deployments
30.j Support the coordination of infrastructure projects between the public and
private sectors to create areas for the deployment of broadband zones
30.k Seek federal and other opportunities for the funding of broadband
infrastructure.
The above information from their General Plan shows that the county
seriously wants Broadband on this island. It would cause serious traffic because of having to dig up roads to lay "sit" cable,
and they say nothing about doing any research on the health risks to people,
animals, and the environment because these cables will be on all the time.
30.l Support the State to develop a broadband dashboard to track progress and
gaps that will inform decision-making in economic development on Hawaiʻi
Island.
Do they want
to track gaps so they can keep laying out more cable underground that will cause more traffic? What does the above 30.I mean?
30.m Foster public-private partnerships to support the development and
expansion of broadband infrastructure, including community networks.
The people that would support this are the people who would make money from
this.
Where is the health and safety research for this? It's NOT in their General Plan.
General Plan Page 87
13.13 Support master planning by public and
private institutions and landowners which emphasize TOD, affordable housing,
and mixed-use development.
TOD - Transit- Orientated Development (I had to
research what TOD meant because I didn’t see it the GP)
What is their “Master Planning” they want to
support? I don’t see any information on this.
What do they mean by public and private institutions?
Page 117
20.e Adopt a Complete Streets ordinance.
What is their “Complete Streets Ordinance”? They seem to be adding more rules, laws, and
regulations, and are not fully explaining what they want to implement.
General Plan Page 87
13.10
Development of TODs and TNDs are encouraged within locations of the urban
centers shown on the General Plan Land Use Map. These locations are approximate
and become fixed during rezoning.
TNDs -
Traditional Neighborhood Development
TOD - Transit- Orientated Development
They don't explain what these developments are. What would they look like? What are the positives and the negatives of these developments?
"Overreaching and Too Vast in Scope: The plan covers an unnecessarily large area, extending far beyond what is reasonable for a transit-oriented development. By attempting to include vast tracts of land, it overreaches, applying policies to areas that are not appropriate or well-suited for the type of development envisioned. This broad application dilutes the effectiveness of the plan and places undue pressure on neighborhoods that may not be prepared for such changes."
What is the
county’s TOD plan?
They don’t mention their plan and their
“ordinances” for it, if any.
The island needs reliable buses. Where is their plan for buses?
General Plan
Page 86
“The Urban
Growth Areas (UGA) include highdensity Transit Oriented Development (TOD),
medium-density Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND), and low-density
Urban Neighborhood Centers. These centers provide physical, social,
governmental, and economic concentrations and easier access to services,
recreation, and employment activities.”
They never
mention their exact plan for implementing a TOD plan on page 86.
They don't give any ideas of how they will increase public transportation. The
bus system has been breaking down for years and is rarely on time. They are not
clear on what they mean by this at all. They say, "are encouraged."
Big Island's public transportation needs to be addressed. How can the island
create better public transportation? They don't explain how they want to help
public transportation.
Big Island's infrastructure also needs to be seriously addressed because
traffic is increasing monthly without any sign of helping the infrastructure to
accommodate the increase in traffic.
How can they help traffic infrastructure with a mountain on one side and a
cliff on the other, with many of our roads? They don't offer any ideas.
1. Decreased Affordability and Property Values: The increased demand for
housing in TOD areas may lead to rising property values and rental costs,
potentially displacing existing low-income residents.
2. Displacement of Marginalized Communities: Gentrification can occur in TOD
neighborhoods, pushing out long-time residents and causing social and economic
disruptions.
3. Social and Cultural Homogenization: The emphasis on mixed-use developments
might inadvertently lead to the homogenization of local cultures and
businesses, eroding the unique character of the community.
4. Increased Pressure on Infrastructure: High-density developments can strain
existing infrastructure, such as transportation networks, water, and sanitation
systems, necessitating costly upgrades.
5. Unequal Distribution of Benefits: Without inclusive planning and involvement
of all stakeholders, the benefits of TOD might disproportionately favor certain
segments of the population.
General Plan Page 87
13.13
Support master planning by public and private institutions and landowners which
emphasize TOD, affordable housing, and mixed-use development.
What is their "Master Plan"? Why should it be supported? Why aren’t
they clear on all their plans and ordinances?
Page 89
13.44 The development or designation of new resort areas should complement the
character of the area; protect the environment and natural beauty; respect
existing lifestyles, cultural practices, and cultural resources; and provide
shoreline public access.
Page 142
28.11 The County shall ensure that golf course developments develop and implement grading and site
preparation plans to...
There are Notification Signs for development Applications all over the island, and the Big Island needs homes for its residents. It does NOT need more resorts and golf course developments because the island is having resource issues with the developments here now,
and many more years of already-approved developments have not been completed
yet.
Why is the General Plan approving more resorts and golf courses when the island's is having a hard time providing resources for all the developments that are here now, and there are years worth of developments that have already been approved.
HECO issues rolling power outages around Big Island by: Emily Cervantes Posted:
Feb 13, 2024 / 05:11 PM HST Updated: Feb 13, 2024 / 09:12 PM HST Hawaiian
Electric initiated rolling outages for Big Island after several large
generators became unavailable and reduced output Tuesday night.” https://www.khon2.com/local-news/heco-releases-conservation-alert-for-big-island/
Page 90
13.e Amend Zoning Code to:
i. Establish a TOD overlay zone project district with a minimum size of 15
acres.
ii. Create a TND overlay zone for existing zoned lands within identified
residential and commercial zoning districts.
iii. Allow for residential uses in ML and MCX zoning districts.
iv. Support innovative uses of alternative energy, agriculture, aquaculture,
and others, in MCX zoning district
What exactly does “Establish a TOD overlay zone project district with a minimum
size of 15 acres” mean?
What does a "TND overlay zone" look like?
What does ML and MCX stand for? These are not in their glossary, and I can't
find them in the GP or online.
This General Plan is NOT CLEAR AND NEEDS TO BE OPPOSED, IF NOT ONLY FOR THE REASON THAT IT IS NOT CLEAR.
Page 98
14.1 Support the State Land Use reclassification to Rural in alignment with the
General Plan Rural designation.
What is the General Plan Rural Designation?
The General Plan changes High-End Land Use Titles, for example Hokulia Lands from "Agriculture" to "Rural". This will allow this High-End developer to by pass things such as the Environmental Impact Statement and this is NOT good for the land or the community.
Please OPPOSE ALL HIGH-END DEVELOPERS LAND USE TITLE CHANGES THAT THE COUNTY WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE TO "RURAL" ALL WHILE CHANGING PRIVATE LANDS TO RECREATION THAT WILL NOT ALLOW THE PRIVATE LAND OWNER TO PASS THEIR LAND TO FAMILY OR SELL IT IN THE FUTURE.
14.2 Support reclassification/rezoning of appropriate General Plan Rural
designated areas where an intermediate land use and a well-defined buffer
between Urban and Productive Agricultural areas are consistent with the
surrounding uses and rural character.
What is the "reclassification/rezoning of appropriate General Plan Rural
designated..."?
They are
changing Land Use Titles in the GP and that NEEDS TO BE OPPOSED!
4.4 Rural-style residential-agricultural developments, such as new small-scale
rural communities or extensions of existing rural communities, should be
incentivized to cluster in appropriate locations.
They want to "cluster" residents because the word "cluster"
is used many times in this General Plan. What does this mean exactly?
14.b Amend the zoning districts currently listed as Family Agricultural
District (FA) and the Residential and Agricultural Districts (RA) to be
consistent with the Rural designation and to allow for home occupations that do
not negatively impact rural character.
Would this mean the county would have the right not to approve homes on
"Rural Designated" lands if they feel it can “negatively impact rural
character”? Are they over-reaching their control?
Page 102
15.f Update the Real Property Tax Code for agricultural land uses that result
in actual production or other public benefits, such as native forestry and the
ecosystem services that result from well managed rangelands.
What does this mean? Will they increase taxes? We need farmers to want to work
and afford life without increased taxes.
15.g Amend the Zoning Code to require Plan Approval for commercial open area
recreational uses in the Agricultural District.
How do they want to Amend the Zoning Code?
15.i Develop standards and guidelines for buffer areas located adjacent to
agricultural lands.
What does this mean? What kind of standards and guidelines do they want to
implement?
Page 108
16.6 Provide for present traffic and future demands, including the development
of mass transit programs for high-growth areas by both the private and public
sectors.
How will they do this? Traffic keeps increasing monthly, and the roads are
incredibly narrow, with a cliff on one side and a mountain on the other in many
different areas all over the island. Where is their plan for this?
Page 111
17.4 Land use applications shall identify as early as possible any existing or
potential active living corridors that should be incorporated into the County’s
open space network.
Who decides what a living corridor is? Is this the county's way of taking
private land areas away?
17.5 Ensure that existing active living corridors that are publicly owned or
available by easement are properly identified and that their access elements
are secured and documented.
b) “Acceptance” by the County of the responsibilities detailed in the grant of
easements should require County Council action and a dedicated funding source.
What does b) mean exactly? What is the "grant of easements"?
Page 116
9.2 Increase arterial capacity through prioritization of alternative means of
transportation, such as mass transit, bicycle, and pedestrian systems.
What does this mean? What is their plan? How will they make
"prioritization of alternative means of transportation"? Will we be
fined or something if we don’t follow their “alternative means of transportation”?
19.6 Use traffic demand management to aid in reducing traffic congestion by
targeting an increase of active transportation mode share to 10 percent
(bicycling, walking, micro-mobility)
What do they mean by "Use traffic demand management to aid in reducing
traffic congestion"? Will they somehow limit cars?
19.7 Concurrency reviews should incorporate reduction
in vehicle miles traveled to mitigate traffic impacts (e.g. the level of service) and achieve
sustainability and demand management goals.
How are they going to “reduce vehicle miles traveled to mitigate traffic
impacts”? Will we lose are right to travel?
19.a Continue to adopt the County Street design manual as the County’s complete
street design program/policy.
19.b Amend the County Code to incorporate complete street design.
What is the “County Street design manual”? I don’t see this information in the
General Plan.
19.d Identify all roles for interdepartmental collaboration in delivering a
truly multimodal transportation system.
What do they mean exactly?
Page 117
20.e Adopt a Complete Streets ordinance.
What is a "Complete Streets ordinance"? Another regulation?
Page 119
22.7 Develop roadway standards to accommodate emerging technology for connected
and automated vehicles.
This needs to be opposed because the Big Island has power issues and cannot
handle all its current power needs. It does not have extra power to connect
many electric vehicles, which will only add to its power issues.
Plus, if
there is a big storm and we lose power, those electric cars cannot run, their
batteries do not decompose, and the island needs a new way to take care of
rubbish because there is only one landfill on the island. These cars will only
add to the many issues the island already has.
25.5 Encourage the clustering of developments to reduce the cost of providing
utilities.
How will "clustering developments" reduce the cost of utilities? We all use the
same power whether we live clustered up, like the county wants, or not.
The solution to help power the island is not
"clustering" everyone. It is
asking homeowners/resorts/vacation rentals to purchase solar panels, use wind
turbines, or use other natural ways to create their own power. If everyone steps
up, we can all make good chances together.
25.6 Develop short- and long-range capital improvements programs and plans for
public utilities within its jurisdiction that are consistent with the General
Plan.
What are " short- and long-range capital improvement programs"?
25.7 Maintain an Asset Management Program aimed at utilizing maintenance plans
to prolong the life of our utilities as well as reduce whole-life costs.
What is their “Asset Management Program”?
25.a Develop and adopt an Impact Fees Ordinance to aide in the expansion of
public utilities.
What is an "Impact Fees Ordinance"? More regulations?
Page 132
26.5 Ensure the highest quality of water is reserved for the most valuable
end-use.
What do they consider “the most valuable end-use” for water?
The Rosewood Resort waters it's white coral road to keep the dust down. They use
hundreds, if not thousands, of gallons to water their road, even when there are
signs to conserve water.
Has the
county looked at the resort's wasteful water use? Are the resort's water use
more “valuable” than residence use?
Shouldn’t
the county have some "ordinance" against wasteful water in the resorts because
we are on an island? Why isn’t this in their General Plan?
26.6 Encourage the design of large development projects (200+ units) in the
North Kohala, South Kohala, North Kona, South Kona, and Kaʻū Districts to be as
water neutral as reasonably possible through water conservation, recharge, and
reuse measures to reduce the water footprint.
How can 200+ units be water-neutral?
Why is the county encouraging big developments when the island has resource issues with developments that are already here? Are they NOT paying attention to island resources?
26.7 Promote best practices in sustainable water collection and use for private
water systems.
What does this mean, “for private water systems”? Are they planning private
water systems used only by private communities or resorts?
Why hasn’t the county considered new inventions to help the island’s water
issues?
26.e Maintain the water master plan to consider water yield, present and future
demand, alternative sources of water, guidelines, and policies for the issuing
of water commitments.
What is their “water master plan”?
26.n Develop water conservation and stormwater management guidelines for
commercial, industrial, and residential properties.
What would “management guidelines” be? Would resorts be prioritized over
residences?
Page 137
27.6 Pollution shall be prevented, abated, and controlled at levels that will
protect and preserve public health and well-being through the enforcement of
appropriate Federal, State, and County standards
What pollution?
What are the Federal, State, and County standards, and how would they enforce
them?
Developments
pollute nearby water; will new developments be subjected to this? Because developments
shouldn’t pollute nearby water and it’s scientifically proven that they do. https://bigislandsupport.com/kbayinfo/
This would
be Kamehameha Schools Bungalow Resort Development, and if it goes through, it
will pollute Keauhou Bay. Will the county enforce pollution standards on them?
They should.
27.7 Ensure municipal wastewater systems serve designated Urban Growth Areas
(UGA) with the capacity to accommodate projected population growth.
27.9 Prioritize developing a multipronged approach to wastewater infrastructure
funding, including proactively seeking grant funding for wastewater system
expansion, improvements, and new development
27.11 Ensure that wastewater systems and improvements are designed and
functioning to maximize system efficiencies, prevent accidental leaks or
spills, and provide sanitary, reliable wastewater treatment that is not
negatively impacting natural resources.
They don’t mention the pollution that cesspools are causing daily. People can
use many kinds of toilets to stop using cesspools today if only the county
would approve this.
Why hasn’t the county considered new inventive toilets to help the wastewater
system? And some of these toilets can also save on water.
Like the
Cinderella Incinerator Toilet to help stop pollution from cesspools and help
with the wastewater system? https://cinderellaeco.com/en-us
There are many new inventive toilets these days that can help the island’s
wastewater system, and the Cinderella Incinerator Toilet can also help conserve
water.
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27.15 Prioritize the use of gray water in areas connected to County water and
not connected to County wastewater.
Why doesn’t the county start looking for new inventions to help the island
instead of traditional sources when the island’s population is steadily growing
and needs new ideas to help? They could start considering using inventions like
these:
27.a Prioritize areas where on-site wastewater treatment should be converted to
sewer and establish financial tools such as improvement districts to aid in
implementation.
27.b Prioritize areas where wastewater treatment facilities are necessary to
facilitate future growth and utilize financing tools such as community
facilities district (CFD) or tax increment financing (TIF) to aid in
implementation.
What would be their priority? Resorts over Residence?
Why doesn’t the county start considering the Cinderella Incinerator toilet or
other inventions to help with the wastewater treatment issues, especially when
this has been a serious issue for years? https://cinderellaeco.com/en-us
27.i Streamline the sewer connection loan program.
What is this loan program? Is the island going into more debt because of it?
27.j Develop wastewater cost valuation in service fees (similar to the water
model fee structure).
27.k Develop a criteria-based infrastructure prioritization tool to develop new
or expand existing municipal wastewater systems. Base these priority areas on
designated urban growth boundaries, urban zoning and density, population trends
and anticipated growth, health/safety, and environmental factors
27.l Implement innovative wastewater systems at a cost-effective scale for
small communities.
If the county starts considering new inventions and types of waste treatment
toilets, like the Cinderella Incinerator Toilet, wastewater treatment costs
would be considerably lowered. Why don’t they do this?
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27.p In collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, develop a water
resource strategy for efficient agricultural water use and reuse.
28.11 The County shall ensure that golf course developments develop and
implement grading and site preparation plans to:
Why is the county still considering more golf courses when the island has water,
power, and landfill issues…?
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28.b Conduct a feasibility study to create a County Stormwater Utility before
the County reaches MS4 requirements.
28.c Update the DPW Storm Drainage Standards to reflect current data and to
incorporate strategies and standards of green infrastructure and low-impact
development.
28.d Develop drainage master plans from a watershed perspective that considers
non-structural alternatives, minimizes channelization, protects wetlands that
serve drainage functions, coordinates the regulation of construction and
agricultural operation, and encourages the establishment of floodplains as
public greenways.
31.c Develop and adopt an Impact Fees Ordinance to aide in the expansion of
County services and facilities.
What would be an “asset management program”?
What is an “Impact Fees Ordinance”? Another regulation?
Page 162
33.2 Implement waste stream technology, such as recycling and upcycling and
waste-to-energy to reduce the flow of refuse deposited in landfills.
Why doesn’t
the county start looking at how countries who have a high population are
dealing with their rubbish, to get other ideas that could help the island?
33.9 Ensure that redesign plans for landfill and transfer stations provide
adequate space for Resource Recovery (RR) Stations.
How would they do this?
33.11 Site new solid waste/resource recovery facilities in appropriate areas
that serve the needs of population centers and minimize and mitigate negative
impacts on the environment or surrounding neighborhood.
33.12 Reduce illegal
dumping and littering.
33.13 Minimize the amount of waste generated by County facilities.
33.a Evaluate and amend the County Code to integrate strategies to maximize
landfill diversion and handle materials:
Where is the information for all of the above? How would they do these things?
Has the county ever looked into new innovative ways to deal with rubbish:
35.f Update the County of Hawaiʻi Recreation Plan to reflect newly identified
recreational priorities.
The county has sent out letters changing private Land Use Titles to
recreational land. Does this mean they will be looking for more lands to change
their Land Use Titles into recreational lands, thereby taking their property
away by not allowing them to pass it down to family or sell it?
Why is it
legal for the county to take private lands away from people to give their lands
to recreation?
I heard these people would still have to pay the property tax on their land,
which the county wants to turn into recreational land, is this going to happen?
Eminent domain is the right of a government entity to take private property for public use with payment of compensation for the land.
Different government bodies have different criteria. But generally, the government must be able to prove a compelling reason for its planned use..."
In the General Plan it states the county will be able to make changes for "environmental reasons" and anyone can make up "environmental reasons" to do things.
How will this be legal for them to change Private Land Use Titles ALL OVER BIG ISLAND?
35.i Develop best management practices for the development and maintenance of
golf courses in collaboration with government, private and nonprofit agencies,
and other stakeholders.
Golf courses use a lot of poisons to keep their lands weed-free, and these
poisons runoff into the ocean, causing algae blooms and other pollutions. Will
the county be addressing this?
35.r Develop and implement a cemeteries master plan for the siting of future
cemeteries.
What is their “cemetery master plan”?
Pag 176
36.b Develop a medical center TOD master plan and rezone it as a Regional
Center TOD.
What is the "TOD master plan” and how will they “rezone” it?
Page 182
37.3 Prioritize new housing including the missing middle in or near mixed-use
developments, urban growth areas with infrastructure, and near existing and
proposed transit centers.
37.6 Vacant lands in the urban growth boundary (UGB) should be prioritized for
residential and supportive uses before additional agricultural lands outside
the UGB are converted into urban uses
37.c Assess and amend the land use and building regulations and explore fiscal
opportunities to support universal design principles and ADA accessibility for
more physically accessible housing.
They talk about more and more developing and yet, have they sincerely looked at Big Island resource issues today?
Have they sincerely looked at all the development that has already been approved for years to come and incorporated into the island's resources, because the island is having serious resource issues right now.
How will all this future development that's in their General Plan affect the island's resources? Where is this researched information?
The island’s
resources need to be addressed because many years in the making, developments
have been approved to build more homes, and all of the island's resources are
having serious issues today.
Before prioritizing even more developments such as resorts, golf courses... that is in their General Plan for future development, and before the years’ worth of homes that have
already been approved have been developed, the island's resources need to be
addressed so that everyone will have power, water, a place to put their rubbish, the traffic needs to be addressed, wastewater needs address...
Where is all the research to increase the island's resources for all these new developments that are in the General Plan?
38.1 Enable data-driven research to support and maintain a housing inventory
program that monitors existing housing.
What are they going to monitor, and why? Are they taking our privacy away?
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39.8 Encourage the development of workforce housing within or near urban growth
areas and employment centers and require large new developments that create a
demand for housing to provide affordable workforce housing.
Resorts on the island hire and bring in people from outside of the country.
Then they house them. This takes away homes and jobs from locals. Why doesn’t
the county prioritize these jobs and homes for locals? Why don’t the resorts on
the island hire locals who are already here and need jobs and homes?
Page 190
42.c Develop and adopt an impact fees ordinance that considers district
specific needs and excludes urban core areas where infill is encouraged.
What exactly does this mean? What are “impact fees ordinance” and “infill is
encouraged” mean?
42.d Develop a framework for a transition plan for changes in administrative
leadership to ensure a smooth transition and continuity of operations.
Why does the county need a “transition plan for changes in administrative
leadership”? What does this have to do with the GP. Shouldn’t they already have
a plan?
Page 199
44.f Partner with business associations, realtors, and the chamber of commerce
to recruit small-scale manufacturers to establish retail locations in village
and town centers to support reinvestment and match potential tenants with local
landowners.
The shops in Kailua Kona town have trouble staying open because all the private
parking lots are overcharging for parking. Why isn’t the county addressing this
issue instead of wanting to bring in more businesses that won’t be able to
survive because private parking is taking a lot of money away from businesses?
The county NEEDS to answer ALL of these questions because they are NOT clear in
what they are saying they want to do in their 2045 GP, and this plan CAN NOT go
any further UNLESS WE ALL FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR PLAN IS!
The county NEEDS to TAKE OUT ALL MENTION OF THE TDR Program because it violates
our rights to live how and where we want.
The county NEEDS TO TAKE OUT ALL MENTION OF "Broadband/Smart Grid"
and start solving traffic issues, water, power, landfill issues, and because
this will cost billions, and add a lot more problems to the Big Island.
I do not understand how to use their map that shows all the changes they want
to make on the island and all the Land Use Titles they have changed to private
lands. Can you figure out their map and see all their changes?
I have heard
the voices of people in person at the meetings who have received letters that are changing their Land Use Titles. This is not right because land changed to recreation will make it so the owner cannot pass their land on, or sell it.
Please look at their map because there are high-end developers' Land that the county has changed their Land Titles so they can develop their lands easily, without having to do Environmental Impact Studies, and this is not safe for the island, or the community.
Zendo Kern has helped high-end developers many times on the island. This
planning director favors developers rather than the preservation of the land
and community voices.
For example, 18,554 people signed a petition to Save Punalu’u from development.
Hundreds of Hawaiian residents protested the housing project in Punalu’u, and
still, “Planning Director Zendo Kern has recommended that the commission
greenlight the development, writing in his 17-page report to the panel that the
project will not have any substantial adverse environmental or ecological
effect” provided that best management practices are used to mitigate any
impacts.
Kern recommended moving ahead without making the developers prepare an updated
environmental impact statement or environmental assessment because the project
did not meet the criteria set out in state law for such a requirement.”
This man is not for conserving the land, nor does he support community voices.
Please look at the map he is a part of because this man favors high-end
developers. If this map changes high-end developers' Land Use Titles to help
them develop their land easily, it could be one huge way that he supports these
developers, and this is not right for the island and the community.
